CHAPTER 277: DROPS OF CLARITY

"Really?" Shen Xu asked in an excited voice.

"Ayuan, how do you know?"

"We are seeing fewer and fewer living people and more and more dead bones."

Hearing this, the others immediately realised the crux of the problem.

"Now that you mention it..." Shen Xu muttered, looking around them.

"The environment is gloomier and the aura is more suffocating." He observed.

"We should be more careful from here on out."

After that, the seven were more careful while walking.

However, they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary until the fourth day.

On this day, the seven walked into a new cavern, expecting the usual gloom and dead bones but this cave was different.

Unlike other caves, this cave was small, only one hundred square metres.

In the middle of the cave was a bronze cauldron, floating in the air one metre from the ground.

The cauldron had two openings, one on top and the other at the bottom.

At a glance, the top opening was inhaling black smoke while the bottom opening was exhaling a clear liquid, which was collecting in a light green jade cup.

[Xiaoxu, these are the treasures I mentioned.] Zhen Yuan transmitted.

[The ones that have formed a law pillar?]

[Mmh.] Zhen Yuan nodded and quickly continued.

[The cauldron is one law pillar and the cup is another. Also...]

[Also?]

[Although the liquid in the cup has not formed a law pillar, it is also a precious treasure.]

[Great.] Shen Xu excitedly exclaimed but soon tilted his head.

[What’s wrong?] Zhen Yuan asked.

[I have just received a message from Yang Shi.] The double said and quickly continued.

[The cauldron is called the evil swallowing cauldron. After the war of demons and gods, the world was filled with evil aura and chaos ensued. Seeing this, an ancient cultivator used a devouring stone to refine the evil swallowing cauldron.]

[The evil swallowing cauldron can swallow evil aura and refine it to spiritual qi. However, this qi is tainted with the seven emotions and six desires.]

[Knowing this, the ancient cultivator refined the enlightenment bowl. Once the qi enters the bowl, it is further refined into drops of clarity. These drops of clarity are good for enlightenment but they are different from enlightenment grass.]

[How so?] Zhen Yuan asked.

[Rather than enlightenment, it’s more accurate to say that drops of clarity improve comprehension. They make you smarter and clearer-headed.]

Generally, single-root cultivators had a higher comprehension ability than multi-root cultivators.

That said, it wasn’t impossible for a less talented cultivator to have a higher comprehension ability than their more talented counterparts.

Because of this, some cultivators could break through their talent limitation and achieve realms even higher than their talented opponents.

Most importantly, comprehension ability improved with an increase in cultivation.

As a result, qi refining realm cultivators were innately incapable of comprehending things that tribulation realm cultivators could easily understand.

However, drops of clarity helped to break through this limitation.

With an increase in comprehension ability, cultivating, learning, and practising martial arts would be several times easier.

[There is one more thing.] Shen Xu said in a mysterious tone.

[What is it?]

[Drops of clarity contain a trace of merit. We can accumulate merit by refining more drops of clarity.]

Hearing this, Zhen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Like luck, merit was an intangible asset.

With enough merit, Shen Xu would endure less severe tribulations and would gain protection against evil qi.

Additionally, advancing would become easier and his future path would lengthen.

’We must get the evil swallowing cauldron, enlightenment cup, and the drops of clarity.’ Zhen Yuan thought.

[Ayuan, Yang Shi says the cauldron is not completely sealed. It’s why this place is filled with evil qi.]

[Not completely sealed?] Zhen Yuan muttered and carefully looked at the cauldron.

On the surface, the cauldron only had the top and bottom openings.

However, after careful examination, he noticed a hair-sized crack at the top.

[We need to properly close the cauldron lid but Yang Shi says you are the only one who can do it.]

[Okay.]

[Won’t you ask why?]

[It doesn’t matter.] Zhen Yuan said and Shen Xu chuckled before explaining.

[He says you are innately outside the law and the evil in the cauldron can’t affect you.]

[I guessed as much.] Zhen Yuan nodded but soon frowned.

[How to deal with Dongfang Jing and Chen Yi?]

[What do you mean?] Shen Xu asked in a confused voice.

[It’s a fact that we saved their lives. However, life-saving grace is nothing in the face of heaven-defying treasures.]

Shen Xu frowned when he heard this.

Zhen Yuan was right!

In the face of a treasure that could change a cultivator’s innate comprehension ability, life-saving grace was not enough to stabilise the situation.

[Do you have a plan?] Shen Xu asked and Zhen Yuan nodded.

If possible, he didn’t want to rob and kill innocent acquaintances.

Considering that, he planned to exchange benefits and let the two swear to the heavens.

[Soul nourishing fruits.]

[Soul nourishing fruits? Wait..., have the fruits of the soul nourishing tree ripened?]

[Mmh.] Zhen Yuan nodded and Shen Xu could help but be excited.

They had been waiting for the fruits for more than ten thousand years.

Now that they were ripe, he naturally wanted to retreat and refine a few.

However, now was not the time.

Not to mention that they were still in the cave of iniquity, they didn’t know how long it would take to refine the fruits.

Considering that he didn’t want to spend the rest of their time in the secret realm in seclusion, Shen Xu decided to refine the fruits after leaving the secret realm.

[There are twelve fruits. We can keep ten and give them two. What do you think?]

[I agree.] Shen Xu immediately nodded and quickly continued.

[We will get more fruits after another ten thousand years so it doesn’t matter if we give away two at this time. Two fruits for the evil swallowing cauldron and the enlightenment cup is a good deal. However, we will have to give them a few drops of clarity. It’s the best way to avoid cause and effect.]

[I know.] Zhen Yuan agreed.